Datsun, the brand that saw a
revival barely a year ago, has now globally unveiled a new concept car, the
company's second in just 17 months. The Datsun GO-cross Concept showcases the
brand's vision for possible expansion of the Datsun GO/GO+ family in high
growth markets.
The concept investigates the
market potential of a cross-over with spirit and a sense of adventure. It's a
car that fully handles the day-to-day routine yet still has plenty left for holidays
or weekend fun, says a company release.
Although a pure concept at the
moment, the futuristic Datsun GO-cross Concept- if it is brought to market -
could be the perfect car to take its owners on their journey through life,
allowing them to GO further.
It shares the same platform as
Datsun GO+ and borrows key iconic design features from that vehicle. Yet it is
a significant evolution, and underlines Datsun's philosophy of continuously
offering something new, exciting and innovative.
The reborn Datsun brand is
looking at possible expansion in new high growth markets such as Africa, Middle
East, South East Asia and beyond. The announcement made during a special event
at Nissan Global Headquarters coincided with the first anniversary of the start
of sales in South Africa, the fourth of the brand’s initial launch market. The
event also highlighted Datsun’s presentation of the story of the brand’s return
to international media visiting the Tokyo Motor Show.
Nearly three decades after the
name was last used, Datsun’s return was announced in 2012 and its first cars
went on sale in India in March 2014. Since then, more than 100,000 new Datsun
cars have been sold in total in India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
Vincent Cobee, Global Head of
Datsun, said: "This is a significant day for Datsun. We have successfully
completed the first phase of our return, and feel proud that through our
vehicles more than 100,000 customers have been able to make their dream of
personal mobility a reality. In fact, the latest figure of cars sold since
Datsun GO was launched in India in March 2014 now stands at 114 000 units.
"Our expansion plans
include the continued growth of sales and service networks in our four existing
markets, while expanding our offering to three models in India. There, we
will launch a totally new model at
the beginning of 2016, which will
be the first Nissan Motor model based on
the new Renault-Nissan Alliance CMF-A
architecture".
"We are also studying further business
expansion possibilities in other high-growth markets around the world,
including Africa," said Cobee.
He added: "Whatever
happens next, the Datsun core values of 'Dream, Access and Trust' will continue
to influence the next phase of our brand's journey."
Source: Datsun / Nissan